There was a time when introducing myself as a journalist at a dinner party would ensure a night of either being ostracised or unceremoniously ridiculed.

These days, I get a gentler ride, especially if given a chance to explain the crusading work we do as a Personal Finance section in helping consumers win their battles against impersonal, unwelcoming companies.

Indeed, if I am lucky enough to attend when there are representatives from the financial services industry present, I am let off the hook. It is their presence that attracts the venom.

Power play: For anyone with a conscience, the play Dry Powder about the private equity industry makes for uncomfortable viewing

‘You’re out of touch.’ ‘You have no idea about customer service.’ ‘Profit, profit, profit. That is all you care about.’ I quietly nod in agreement.

Given recent events at failed outsourcer Carillion, it is easy to see why the City is now despised by so many.

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Powerful hedge fund managers who were happy to make multi-million pound profits from the slide in Carillion’s share price – through a process called shorting (betting on a share price falling).

The City pressurising Carillion’s management into keeping on paying dividends when they should have been plugging the massive hole in its employees’ pension scheme. Thousands of jobs lost, at Carillion and numerous sub-contractors.

The financial industry’s thirst for profits is such that it is now leaking on to the stage and into film – for example, Enron (2009) and The Big Short (2015).

On Wednesday night, I sat through Dry Powder, a play by Sarah Burgess getting an airing at the splendid Hampstead Theatre in North London. It is based on the private equity industry’s relentless pursuit of profit (dry powder is a term used to describe the spare cash they have available to invest).

For anyone with a conscience it makes for uncomfortable viewing, although I ended up sitting next to two women who whooped with laughter every time someone was double-crossed or there was a mention of jobs being lost.

I imagine they work in the City, an idea given credence by the fact that they left their phones on vibrate throughout the production while munching their way through bags of sour cream and onion crisps.

The play follows private equity company KMM Capital Management in its quest to purchase Landmark Luggage. KMM director Seth, who has set up the deal, sees Landmark Luggage as a great growth investment.

Fellow director Jenny (hard as nails) begs to differ. She believes the only way to extract value is by taking a knife to costs, outsourcing all jobs to Bangladesh, refocusing sales on China and then selling out as quickly as possible.

Who will win the battle of minds? Seth, an individual with a conscience who has assured Landmark’s boss Jeff Schraeder that all jobs in Sacramento will be maintained (Jeff seems protective towards his workforce)?

Or workaholic Jenny, a child prodigy in algebra who sees the world purely in financial numbers? I will not reveal the ending just in case you want to see the play but suffice to say it is profit and personal greed (naughty Jeff) that win out.

Most people leaving the theatre were appalled by what they had witnessed. You could argue many were part of the North London set (lovey-dovey socialists who believe all profit is amoral). Also, at the end of the day, it is just a work of fiction (unlike Enron and The Big Short) although Burgess did do extensive research before penning the script.

But it helps fuel the widely held view that the City all too often behaves in a way that does capitalism a disservice – and plays into the hands of Jeremy Corbyn.

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